Burial vaults



Sep t. 28, 1965 P 1965 B. A. FULTON ETAL 3,208,188

BURIAL VAULTS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 13, 1962 INVENTORS BERTRAM AFULTON RCHARD S. L\NDSTROM ROBERT M. LUQA'5 WLZM IJEJF1 -1-F P 1965 B.A. FULTON ETAL 3,208,188

BURIAL VAULTS Fled Nov. 15, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS BERTRAN A.FULTON R\CHARD S. \NDSTRQM ROBERT N\. LUCAS P 1965 B. A. FULTON ETAL3,208,188

BURIAL VAULTS Filed Nov. 13, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS BERTRAM A.FULTON R\CHARD S. L\NDSTROM ROBERT M. LUCAS United States PatentEertrarn A. Feiten, lLynniield, Richard S Lindstrnm,

Rearing, nnd Robert M. Lucas, Meirose, Mass. assignors, by rnesneassignments, to Wilbert W. Haase Co.,

Braaview, ili., a cnrporaticn of 'iiinois Fileel Nov. 13, 31962, Ser.Nn. 237254 2 Claims. (Cl. 5238) This invention relates to burial vaults.

More specifically, this invention relates to burial vaults of theso-ealled air-seal type, and particularly to burial vaults of theair-seal type whieh may be made of synthetic plastic resinous materials,such as those hereinafter deseribecl, or equivalent materials.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and irnproved lihtWeight bureal vault of the air-seal type whieh may be made of synthetcplastic resinous materials, and which has adequate structural andflexural strength to resist the crushing and bending forces of overlyingearth loads and the weight of earthhandling machinery to whieh burialvaults are subjected in a grave opening as, for example, when suchearth-handlng machinery passes over the grave or is engaged inexcavating an adjacent grave.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved burialvault which has adequate struetural and flexural strength to Withstandthe load applied thereto when the vault is interred in a grave openingand one side thereof is exposed and deprived of its lateral supportduring the excavation of an adjacent grave opening.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedsynthetic plastic resinous burial vault of the air-seal type whieh is sodesigned flll(l constructed that it may be effectively sealed againstthe entry of water and n1oisture from the grave opening.

A urther object of the invention is to provicle in the new air-sealburial vault a nevel construetion and means or reinforcing the sidewalls and the end walls of the cover member unit of the vault againstthe bending forees and stresses to which such a burial vault issubjected in the grave opening Another object of the invention is toprovide a burial vault of the air-seal type which includes a new andirnproved base mernber having a nevel construction and arrangement ofcasket-supporting members, or so-callecl casket rests, molded as anintegral part thereof and on the upper surace thereol, and wl1ichmaterially strengthen and increase the rigidity of the base mernber.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedair-seal burial vault Which is so constructed and designed that it issubstantially smaller in overall vertieal heignt than prior air-sealburial vaults, thereby enabling maximum utilization of rave depth in agrave opening, whieh is becon1ing an increasingly importantconsicleration as cemeteries becorne more crowded and multiple burialsare commonly made in a single grave opening.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent fromthe following description and claims and are illustrated in theaceompanyng drawings which, by Way of illustration, show a preferredernbodirnent of the present invention and the principles thereof andwhat we now consder to be the best mode in which we have con templatedapplying these principles. Other ernbodirnents of the inventionernboclying the same or equivalent principles may be used and structuralchanges may be made as desired by those skillecl in the art withoutdeparting from the present invention.

in the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the new ar-seal burial vault inassembled condition;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the 3Z8,i Patenied Sepr.28, 1Q55 base and the cover unit of the new air-seal burial vault inexploded condition, that is, separated frorn each other;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical sectional view of the newair-seal bural vault in assembled condition;

FlG. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view on line in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged ragrnentary sectional detail view of the areaindicated by the circle designated FIG. 5, in FG. 3 showing the sealingeonstruction and arrangement for sealing the base and the cover memberof the new air-seal burial vault together;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a moclification of onefeature of the new air-seal burial vault;

FG. 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the modification ofthe new air-seal burial vault sh0Wn in F1G. 6;

FIG. 8 is a transverse sectional view on line 8-3 in FG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a modification of the base rnember ofthe new air-seal burial vault;

FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view on line 100 in FIG. 9 illustratingthe design and construction of one of the base-strengthening membersWhieh are molded integrally with the base member on the upper surfacethereof, and also illustrating one of the base-strengthening 1nernbersattached to the bottom of the base member; and

PK}. 11 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view on line11-11 in FIG. 9, illustrating the construction of the casket-supportngmembers and the basestrengtheing members emboclied in the base of thenew air-seal burial vault sl1own in FIGS. 9, 10 and 11.

A typical embodirnent of the new air-seal burial vault is illustrated inFIGS. 1 to 5, inclusive, of the drawings, where it is generallyindicated at 14), and includes a domeshaped cover unit or member 11having a somewhat rounded upper or top surface, the cover unit orrnember ll being molded or otherwise formed as a single unitary n1emberand including side walls ll2, end walls 13, and 21 top wall 14, the sidewalls 12 being parallel to each other in a horizontal plane and the endwalls 13 being parallel to each other in a horizontal plane. However, assl1own in the drawings, the sicle walls 12 and the end walls 13 divergesomewhat outwardly from their upper encls to their lower ends.

The new air-seal burial vault also includes a base member 15 whichincludes a marginal peripherally extending and generally ehannel-shapedbottom wall portion 16 and an upraised centrally arranged wall orplatform 17 Whieli is connected to the peripherally eXteding andgenerally ehannel-shaped botton1 wall portion l6 by an upwardlyextending and sliglitly inwarclly inclined web portion 18 (FIGS. 3, 4and 5) which extends around the said base member 15. As shown in thedrawings, the said marginal bottorn wall portion 16 has an open top forthe reception of the lower enige portions of the side walls 12 and endwalls 13 of the dome-shaped cover member 11 and to provide a sealinggroeve for sealing material used in sealing the vault, as will beexplained more fully hereinafter.

t will be noted thta the angular inclination of the sicle walls 12 andend. walls 13 of the cover member 11 and of the web portions 18 of thebase member 15 is such that the side walls 12 and the end walls 13 ofthe cover member 151 and the side and end portions of the nclined webing members, or so-called casket rests 19, in the form of raisedintegrally molded and somewhat rounded elevated portions of the raisedplatform 17 of the base member 15, are formed in the upper surface ofthe raised platform portion 17, and extend transversely thereacross.These members 19 serve as casket rests for the purpose of supporting acasket thereon, and slightly above the upper surface of the platform 11,and also serve to strengthen the base member 115 and to add rigiditythereto. Moreover, while only two of these members 19 are shown, in theform of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5, inclusive, of thedrawings, it is understood that additional members 19 may be molded inthe base member to impart greater strength and rigidity thereto, ifdesired, as will be referred to hereinafter.

The cover member 11 has a plurality of spaced parallel hollow andgenerally channel-shaped reinforcing members or ribs 20 thereon. Each ofthese spaced hollow reinforcng members or ribs 21) includes a generallychannelshaped upper portion 21 which extends across the top wall 14 ofthe cover member 11, on the inner surface thereof, and a pair ofdepending generally channel-shaped side portions or ribs 22 which extenddownwardly on the inner surfaces of the side walls 12 of the covermember 11 and are tapered or flattened somewhat toward the lower endportions of the side walls 12 of the cover mernber 11 into which theymerge at their lower ends (FIGS. 4 and 5. Each of the hollow generallychannel-shaped reinforcing rnembers or ribs 2) includes a centrallyarranged body portion 23 having a pair of outwardly flared side wallportions 24 each of which terminates in a laterally extending flangeportion 25.

In the practice of the invention the hollow reinforcing members or ribs20 may be molded integrally with the top wall 14 and side walls 12 ofthe cover member 11 or they may be molded or otherwise formed separatelyof the same materials as are employed in making the domeshaped covermember 11, as hereinafter described, or of other suitable or equivalentmaterials, and adhesively secured to the inner surfaces of the top wall14 and side walls 12 of the cover member 11 by means of suitableadhesive appliecl along the outer surfaces of the flange portions 25 andbetween the latter and the inner surfaces of the top wall 14 and sidewalls 12 of the cover member 11. Moreover, if desired, the reinforcingmembers or ribs 2%), and the other reinforcing members or ribs herein described, may be formed as solid members of unidirectional glass rovingimpregnated with a suitable resin such as, for example, polyester resin.

It will be noted that the depending side wall portions or ribs 22 of thespaced hollow reinforcing members or ribs 20 in the cover member 11 aretapered downwardly and are of gradually diminshing cross sectionalthickness from their upper end portions to their lower end portions(FIG. 2) thereby minimizing the weight of the domeshaped cover 11 whle,at the same time, preserving adequate structural and flexural strengthin the walls thereof. In addition, the design and construction of thetapered side wall portions or ribs 22 of the spaced hollowingreinforcing members 20 in the cover member 111 enables the overall widthof the vault to be minimized since if the side wall ribs 22 weremantainecl at full cross-sectional thickness from top to bottom thereofthe vault would have to be substantially wider in order to accommodate acasket of a given size.

The new air-seal vault 10 may be made of any suitable synthetic resinousplastic material such, for example, as resin-impregnated glass fibermolded or formed into the desired shape of the cover member 11 and base1.5, by any suitable means and method such, for example, as by thespray-mp method, employing glass fiber irnpregnated with a polyesterresin, or by other suitable molding techniques.

In one use of the new air-seal vault, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5,inclusive, of the drawngs, a thermosetting resinous sealing material 26may be placed in the channel defined by the peripherally extendingchannel-shaped bottom wall portion 16 of the base 15, with the lowerportions of the side walls 13 and end walls 14 of the cover rnernber 11disposed therein, and with the parts arranged as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4and 5, thus complet ing the assembly and sealing of the cover rnember 11and the base 15 together. However, in the use of the new air-seal burialvault the cover mernber 11 and base 15 meed not necessarily be assembledbefore the sealing material is placed in the sealing groove or channeldefined by the channel-shaped bottom wall portion 16 of the base 15siace in the use of various sealing compounds of either a softthermoplastic or thermosetting nature the sealing compound may be placedin the sealing groove and the top or cover member 11 then placed inposition. However, in the use of thermosetting resinous compounds it isnecessary to place the top or cover member 111 into position before thethermosetting resinous sealing material begins to cure. Thus, forexample, in the practice of the invention the sealing material 26 may bea nonsetting permanently thermoplastic resinous material, such as anasphalt sealing material, or it may be a thermosetting resinous sealingmaterial such, for exarnple, as an epoxy 01 polyester resin.

VJhen the cover 11 and the base 15 of the new burial vault are thusassembled and sealed, as in FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 5, the sealing arrangementshown in detail in FIG. 5, provides adequate protection against theingress of water and other liquid and solid components from the graveopening into the assembled vault, or into the casket disposed on themembers 19 which provide casket rests 19 on the raised platform portion17 of the base 15.

The hollow reinforcing members or ribs 211 in the cover member 11provide adequate structural and flexural strength to resist the bendingand other forces and stresses to which the new air-seal vault may besubjected in a grave opening, by reason of the weight of the overlyingearth load and the weight of earth-handling machinery moving thereover,as well as when one side of the vault is deprived of its lateral supportduring the excavation of an adjacent grave opening, while, at the sametime, preserving the desired lightness in the new synthetic plasticresinous burial vault.

The design of the new air-seal burial vault is such that it issubstantially smaller in overall vertical height than prior air-sealburial vaults, thereby enabling more efficient utilization of gravedepth when in the grave opening which is an increasingly importantconsideration as cerneteries become more crowded and multiple burialvaults in a single grave opening are common.

It has been found that the somewhat rounded upper surface of the covermember 11 is substantially more eficient in use than a flat surface forthe reason that the weight load of the overlying earth and the stressesincidental thereto are applied substantially uniforrnly over the entireupper surface of the vault cover, rather than being concentrated at theouter edges thereof, as would be the case if the upper surface of thevault cover were flat with rounded edge portions. Moreover, the shape ofthe new vault cover does not add materially to the height or weight ofthe vault and the rounded curvature of the top thereof is compatiblewith providing in the new burial vault a minimum overall height for thevault since most caskets are rounded on the top and hence will projectinto the rounded portion of the top of the cover member 11 of the newvault in use.

A modification of the reinforcing construction of the cover member 11 isillustrated in FIGS. 6 to 8, inclusive, of the drawings, and those partstherein which are the same or are similar in construction tocorresponding parts in the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1to 5, inclusive, have been given the same reference numerals followeclby the additional and distinguishing reference character a.

The form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 8, inclusive, of thedrawngs is substantially the same as the form of the inventionillustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5, inclusive, except that in the form of theinvention illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 8, inclusive, an addtional hollowand generally channel-shaped reinforcng member or rib 27 is provided onthe inner surface of each of the end walls 13a, centrally thereof. Thisadditional reinforcing member or rib 27 is similar in design andconstruction to the reinforcing members or ribs 20a, and includes aporton 28 which ex tends down the inner surface of each end wall 13a,and a portion 29 which extends partially over the inner snrface of thetop wall 14a to the adjacent vertically reinforcing mernber or rib 20a,as shown in FIGS 6, 7 and 8 of the drawings.

A modification of the base of the new air seal burial vault isillustrated in FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 of the drawings, and those partsthereof which are sirnilar to or correspond to parts emboclied in theform of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 8, inclnsive, have beengiven simllar reference numerals, followed by the additonal anddistinguishing reference character b.

It Will be noted that in the form of the base llustrated in FIGS. 9, 10and 11 there are three of the casket-supporting, and base strengthenngmembers 191), as distinguished from the two members 19 in the form ofthe base shown in FIG. 2, and that in this form of the base additionalbase-strengthenng rnembers 19c are provided on the lower surface of theplatform 17b, as by being molded integral therewith, or by being formedscparately from the base member and adhesively or otherwise securedthereto, as desired. The base-strengthening members 190 are preferablyarranged in staggered or spaced relationship With but extend parallel tothe casket-supporting and base-strengthenng members 19 on the uppersurface 1717 of the base 15b.

Sirnilarly, the combination casket-supporting and basestrengthening, asmembers 19 or 1%, may, if desired, be formed separately from andadhesively or otherwise secured to the upper surface 17 or 17 b of thebase rnember 15 or 1512 in the same manner as the base-strengthenngmernbers 19c are shown as being formed separately from and adhesively orotherwise attached to the bottom surface of the base member 15b.

It will thus be seen from the foregoing description, considered inconjuncton with the accompanying drawings, that the present nventionprovides a new and improved synthetic plastic resinous ar-seal burialvault having the desirable advantages and characteristcs, andaccornplishing its intended objects, including these hereinbeforepointed out and others which are inherent in the nvention.

We claim:

1. An air-seal burial vault forrned of lightweight plactc resinousmaterial and comprising a generally rectangular-shaped base memberincluding a generally channel-shaped bottom marginal wall portion havingan open top, and a raised generally horizontally extendingcasketsupportng platform disposed above and within the said marginalbottom wall portion and interconnected thereto by generally vertcallyextending si:de and encl web portons extending between the said marginalbottom wall porton and the said rased platform of said base member, agenerally dome-shaped cover member ncluding a generally arcuate top wallhaving a rounded but relatively flat outer surface and a complementalarcuate nner surface and an open bottom, and including side walls andend walls extending substantially parallel to the said side and end webportions, respectively, of the said base member outwardly of the latter,the said side walls and end walls of the said dome-shaped cover memberhaving lower edge portions disposed in the said channel-shaped marginalbottom wall portion of the said base member outwardly of the saidinterconnecting web portions, scalirrg means disposecl in the saidchannel-shaped marginal bottom wall portion and around the lower edgeportions of the said sde walls and end walls of the said domeshapedcover mernber disposed therein, the said generally dome-shaped covermember having a plurality of spaced parallel hollow and generallychannel-shaped reinforcing rnembers attached thereto only on the innersurfaces thereof, each of the said spaced parallel hollow reinforcingrnembers comprsing a bottom wall With spaced legs projecting therefrom,said hollow renforcing members having upper portions extendng across thetop wall of the said cover member on the inner surface there of With thebottom wall of said upper portions of said reinforcing members extendingin a plane substantially parallel to said casket supporting platform andthe vertical distance between the bottom wall and the inner surface ofsaid top wall of the cover member decreasng along the length of thereinforcing rnembers from their center to the outer edge portionsthereof adjacent the cover side walls, and each of the said hollow andgenerally channelshaped reinforcing rnembers having a portion extendngdownwardly over the inner surface of each of the said side walls of saidcover member on the inner surface thereof continung from the outer edgeportions of said upper portions of said renforcing rnembers to a pointadjacent the upper surface of the said raised generally horizontallyextending casket-suporting platform of the said base member, eacl1 ofthe said downwardly extending portions of the said hollow and generallychannel-shaped reinforcng rnembers having the distance between thechannel bottom wall thereof and the inner surface of the adjacent coverside wall gradually decreasng along the length thereof trom its upperend portion to its lower end porton With the Wdth of said channel bottomwall gradually increasing as said distance decreases, and the saidraised horzontally extending casket-supporting platform portion of thesaid base having a plurality of spaced parallel upwardly andtransversely extending casket-supporting and base strengthening membersthereon and projecting upwardly above the snrface of the said raisedplatform portion of the said base.

2. An air-seal burial vault as defned in claim 1 in Which the said covermember includes an additional hollow and generally channel-shapedreinforcng member on the inner snrface of each of the said end walls ofthe said cover member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 205,555 7/78Johnston 27-7 1,469,220 10/23 Kemp 50-268 X 1,657,305 1/28 Gschwind27-25 1,928,672 10/33 Mitchell 27-35 2,940,156 6/60 Cool: 27-35 FRANK L.ABBOTT, Prz'mary Examner. JACOB L. NACKENOFF, Examiner.

1. AN AIR-SEAL BURIAL VAULT FORMED OF LIGHTWEIGHT PLASTIC RESINOUSMATERIAL AND COMPRISING A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR-SHAPED BASE MEMBERINCLUDING A GENERALLY CHANNEL-SHPED BOTTOM MARGINAL WALL PORTIN HAVINGAN OPEN TOP, AND A REISED GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY EXTENDINGCASKETSUPPORTING PLATFORM DISPOSED ABOVE AND WITH IN THE SAID MARGINALBOTTOM WALL PORTION AND INTERCONNECTED THERETO BY GENERALLY VERTICALLYEXTENDING SIDE AND END WEB PORTIONS EXTENDING BETWEEN THE SAID MARGINALBOTTOM WALL PORTION AND THE SAID RAISED PLATFORM OF SAID BASE MEMBER, AGENERALLY DOME-SHAPED COVER MEMBER INCLUDING A GENERALLY ARCUATE TOPWALL HAVING A ROUNDED BUT RELATIVELY FLAT OUTER SURFACE AND ACOMPLEMENTAL ARCUATE INNER SURFACE AND AN OPEN BOTTOM, AND INCLUDINGSIDE WALL AND END WALLS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE SAIDSIDE AND END WEB PORTIONS, RESPECTIVELY, OF THE SAID BASE MEMBEROUTWARDLY OF THE LATTER, THE SAID WALLS AND END WALLS OF THE SAIDDOME-SHAPED COVER MEMBER HAVING LOWER EDGE PORTIONS DISPOSED IN THE SAIDCHANNEL-SHAPED MARGINAL BOTTOM WALL PORTION OF THE SAID BASE MEMBEROUTWARDLY OF THE SAID INTERCONNECTING WEB PORTIONS, SEALING MEANSDISPOSED IN THE SAID CHANNEL-SHAPED MARGINAL BOTTOM WALL PORTION ANDAROUND THE LOWER EDGE PORTIONS OF THE SAID SIDE WALLS AND END WALLS OFTHE SAID DOMESHAPED COVER MEMBER DISPOSED THEREIN, THE SAID GENERALLYDOME-SHAPED COVER MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPACED PARALLEL HOLLOWAND GENERALLY CHANNEL-SHAPED REINFORCING MEMBERS ATTACHED THERETO ONLYON THE INNER SURFACES THEREOF, EACH OF THE SADI SPACED PARALLEL HOLLOWREINFORCING MEMBERS COMPRISING A BOTTOM WALL WITH SPACED LEGS PROJECTINGTHEREFROM, SAID HOLLOW REINFORCING MEMBERS HAVING UPPER PORTIONSEXTENDING ACROSS THE TOP WALL OF THE SAID COVER MEMBER ON THE INNERSURFACE THEREOF THE WITH BOTTOM WALL OF SAID UPPER PORTIONS OF SAIDREINFORCING MEMBERS EXTENDING IN A PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAIDCASKET SUPPORTING PLATFORM AND THE VERTICAL DISTANCE BETWEEN THE BOTTOMWALL AND THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID TOP WALL OF THE COVER MEMBERDECREASING ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE REINFORCING MEMBERS FROM CENTER TOTHE OUTER EDGE PORTIONS THEREOFE ADJACENT THE COVER SIDE WALLS, AND EACHOF THE SAID HOLLOW AND GENERALLY CHANNELSHAPED REINFORCING MEMBERSHAVING A PORTION EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY OVER THE INNER SURFACE OF EACH OFTHE SAID SIDE WALLS OF SAID COVER MEMBER ON THE INNER SURFACE THEREOFCONTINUING FROM THE OUTER EDGE PORTIONS OF SAID UPPER PORTIONS OF SAIDREINFORCING MEMBERS TO A POINT ADJACENT THE UPPER SURFACE OF THRSAIDRAISED GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING CASKET-SUPPORTING PLATFORM OFTHE SAID BASE MEMBER, EACH OF THE SAID DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING PORTIONS OFTHE SAID HOLLOW AND GENERALLY CHANNEL-SHAPED REINFORCING MEMBERS HAVINGTHE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE CHANNEL BOTTOM WALL THEREOF AND THE INNERSURFACE OF THE ADJACENT COVER SIDE WALL GRADUALLY DECREASING ALONG THELENGTH THEREOF FROM ITS UPPER END PORTION TO ITS LOWER END PORTION WITHTHE WIDTH OF SAID CHANNEL BOTTOM WALL GRADUALLY INCREASING AS SAIDDISTANCE DECREASES, AND THE SAID RAISED HORIZONTALLY EXTENDINGCASKET-SUPPORTING PLATFORM PORTION OF THE SAID BASE HAVING A PLURALITYOF SPACED PARALLEL UPWARDLY AND TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING CASKET-SUPPORTINGAND BASE STRENGTHENING MEMBERS THEREON AND PROJECTING UPWARDLY ABOVE THESURFACE OF THE SAID RAISED PLATFORM PORTION OF THE SAID BASE.